


Love with the Help of Remus and Wine

by killing_all_joy



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: (bc they're in love), Alcohol, Drunk Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Drunken Confessions, How Do I Tag, In Vino Veritas, M/M, Remus being Remus, Sad Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Swearing, Wine, both janus and roman are insecure, but what is a sanders sides fic without roman angst these days, except theyre still awkward, food tw, i have never been either of those things so, janus is trying to be helpful but it backfired sort of, pls excuse inaccuracy for drunken or hungover behavior, same with roman and janus, self deprecation, sexual innuendo, the twins are amicable now, there's some angst but it's fluff at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:22:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27578456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killing_all_joy/pseuds/killing_all_joy
Summary: Roman had a terrible day and decides to get drunk with his brother, Remus. Little does he know, Remus had a terrible day himself as well. Roman, drunk, pours his heart out to his brother. The following day, Remus has something of a confession himself...
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders
Comments: 6
Kudos: 63





	Love with the Help of Remus and Wine

Roman kicked on Remus’ door loudly, as if to knock. He was carrying a bottle of red wine and two glasses. Fortunately for Roman, he had recently begun to make nice with his brother, so it wouldn’t be weird for him to come knocking and asking for someone to drink with.

“Remus!” Roman exclaimed dramatically. “Are you there?”

After half a minute of waiting, Remus opened the door. “Roman! What brings you here?”

“I had a terrible day,” he said bluntly. “Would you like to drink with me?”

“Sure,” Remus responded. He let Roman in.

The creative side snapped his fingers to make the bottle open and poured glasses for both of them. He sat on the floor, Remus sitting on a beanbag in front of him.

“So, Remus. How was your day?” Roman asked, taking a sip of wine.

“Could’ve been better,” he replied. “Though it’s likely ass-tacular compared to yours.”

“Yeah, probably,” Roman agreed.

“What was so shitty about your day?”

“Oh, where to start?” Roman asked, finishing his glass. “All my ideas were objected to by either Logan or Virgil. Patton gave me the puppy-dog eyes to convince me to watch a cartoon I do not like, I slept horribly, Thomas didn’t ask for my input today, and I had another god-awful interaction with Janus.”

Remus perked up. “What happened with Janus?”

“We’ve been starting to get along better recently, as you know,” Roman said, pouring himself another glass. “We’ll have normal conversations and maybe even watch a show together. But today was just like how it used to be. ‘Hi.’ ‘Hi.’ ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Getting food.’ ‘What food?’ ‘It _totally_ isn’t Pop-Tarts.’ ‘Oh cool.’ ‘I’m gonna awkwardly sink out because I hate you, Roman.’” He took a long drink of his newly poured wine before sighing. “The stupid snake can’t even talk to me about Pop-Tarts.”

Remus didn’t have a response for a moment too long. “At least that isn’t how _all_ your interactions go.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “It seems like it is when you’ve had a terrible day.” He sipped his wine. “Has it all been for nothing, all this healing him and I are trying to do? Does he still hate me as much as he used to?”

“How am I supposed to know?” Remus asked with a shrug.

“He’s your best friend, right? I think that’s what you mean when you call him your ‘snake slut’.”

Remus blinked, taking a moment before speaking. “Nah, Roman, he doesn’t hate you. And the healing we’re doing isn’t for nothing. I think you could say the same for you and Janus.”

Roman shook his head. “Sometimes a weird part of me misses the times where he pretended he liked me and was good at it. Now, he’s terrible at it! Even _I_ was able to see through his act today. He’s getting worse at hiding that he’s forcing his fondness.”

“Maybe that’s the difference,” Remus suggested.

“Hmm?”

“The way he acts with you now is different than the way he used to act with you. Maybe what you think is badly veiled dislike is actually fondness he doesn’t know how to show well.”

Roman looked at him strangely. “What in Neverland could make you think this?”

“I’m just saying, whore,” Remus said immediately, “Janus doesn’t seem the type to let a deception become so hard to believe.”

“He did it when he impersonated Patton,” Roman mumbled into his wine.

Remus hummed in thought. “The ending of that lie did leave much to be desired. Then again, he did _really_ want Thomas to lie.”

Roman nodded, finishing his wine. “I just want him to stop pretending to like me. Can’t he just act and treat me in a way that mirrors the way he sees and feels about me?”

“Well-”

“It kinda hurts to be the side he tries to deceive the most.” Roman bit his lip. “I mean, I know I’m stupid, but I don’t need the fact that everyone knows it rubbed in my face all the time.”

“Roman, you’re not-”

Roman laughed, pouring himself a third glass. “Says the guy who called me stupid three times last week. It’s not a big deal! I know I don’t have half the brains as the rest of you.”

“You create the shit that Thomas puts out, I think that counts for something.”

Roman snorted. “Sure.”

Roman paused as he brought the glass to his mouth. He already had two drinks, and he had not been drinking for a long time at all. But, this was Remus. He didn’t have to worry about being judged while drunk with him.

So, he continued to drink the wine.

* * *

Part of Janus was starting to regret helping out Remus this evening. Remus didn’t have too great a day and was really exhausted, and was talking with Janus when Roman knocked. Remus begged Janus to impersonate him as he couldn’t bear being around anyone other than Janus. Janus begrudgingly agreed (neither had any desire to hurt or lie to Roman in any way, but Remus was feeling absolutely terrible) and Remus sunk out, letting Janus do his thing.

But when Roman mentioned him, Janus couldn’t help his curiosity—and now he was hearing things he wasn’t supposed to. He couldn’t help but want to hear what the dashing prince thought of their interactions, but things were on track to getting out of hand. It was only getting harder for Janus to refrain himself from breaking character, explain why he had been acting the way he was with Roman, and tell him just how much he liked him. Also, Roman was close to being drunk—he was already failing to keep eye contact with Janus—and if Janus didn’t change the subject to something unimportant or inconsequential soon, he would hear personal things Roman wouldn’t want anyone to hear.

So, no matter how much Janus wanted to hear his love’s every opinion on him, he changed the subject. “Are you sure you should be drinking that much?”

Roman scoffed. “Since when are _you_ the one to scold me over drinking habits?”

“What? I just don’t want you to vomit on my floor.”

“I’m sure you’d take a picture and frame it,” Roman shot back. “Either way, I practically never do this. I have just had a horrible day, and I will allow myself to drink like it.”

Janus rolled his eyes, sipping his wine. He was still on his first glass. “Still want to complain about Janus?”

“No, I think I’m done for now,” Roman declined. Janus noticed his words were starting to slur. “Do you want to complain about Janus?”

Janus gave him the most Remus-ish laugh he could muster. “Besides him being a buzzkill and a drama queen with no taste, there’s not much I have to complain about right now.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Roman drinking more of the third glass of his wine while Janus rationed his first. He could _not_ get drunk while impersonating someone.

“More wine, Dukey?” Roman slurred.

Janus shook his head. “Nah, wine isn’t close to being my favorite alcoholic drink anyway.” It was true of Remus, but not of Janus. “But maybe you should stop?”

“And why’s that?”

“Your words are slurring.”

Roman frowned. “Even if I was trying to do that, it seems like something you’d enjoy.”

Janus snorted. He didn’t reply, though, worried what would happen if he started a conversation. He didn’t want to violate Roman’s privacy. (Though, he already failed on that front. Remus really did owe him.)

Eventually, Roman finished his third glass. He sighed, putting the glass down. He stared at who he thought was Remus intently for a few minutes.

“Remus?” Roman was lying on his back, looking up at the ceiling.

“What?”

“He’s so wonderful.”

Janus closed his eyes, trying to process what was going on. “Sorry, _what_?”

“So smart,” Roman continued, “and interesting.”

Janus opened his eyes, slowly starting to realize what was happening. Roman’s drunken state was making him speak everything that came to mind—and now he was confessing an admiration for someone.

“He’s sometimes really kind to me,” he said happily. Roman then frowned. “But he doesn’t mean it, which is okay I guess. That’s the way everyone is with me.”

Janus tried not to listen to what Roman was saying, though he couldn’t help but feel terrible for Roman from his last two sentences. “Roman, you should really stop talking.”

“Why should I stop talking about him when my mind never shuts up about him?” Roman replied. “Besides, I know you won’t tell anyone. Do you feel this way about someone, Remus?”

“Umm-”

“It’s so awful,” Roman stated. “Painful. It hurts a _lot_. But you also get a new appreciation for things, and there’s nothing like the feeling you get when they give you a genuine smile.”

Janus was silent. He knew everything about what Roman was saying too well. Yes, it did hurt—especially when they were talking to you about who they loved instead of you—but Roman was right. There was nothing like the feeling you get when they smile.

Janus couldn’t help but wonder who Roman was talking about. Maybe it was Patton. He smiled a lot and was very kind.

“Who do you think he has feelings for, if anyone?” Roman asked. “I...I bet it’s Patton.”

Maybe it was Logan. Logan was the smartest of them, and if someone felt for him romantically, they’d likely find him very interesting. His smile was rare—so treasuring it made a lot of sense. He and Roman argued a lot too; that could be a source of emotional pain for the creative side.

Roman laughed bitterly. “It could never be me though, which sucks. After all that I’ve done to him, he could never.”

Virgil made sense too. They had a terrible feud at the beginning of things, which explained Roman’s latest comment as well as being so painfully in love. His smile was almost as rare as Logan’s, and he was smarter than anyone gave him credit for. And if Virgil was ever kind to Roman—it made sense that he didn’t think he meant it. Not with all the unconcealed distaste that used to plague their relationship.

Yes, it was either Virgil or Logan.

Janus didn’t dare entertain that it was him. They had wronged the other so many times. Yes, they considered themselves friends now, but there was no way Roman felt for him further than that. Hell, Roman was just complaining about him!

So it was either Virgil or Logan.

“I’m sure he’ll forgive your actions,” Janus assured him, trying to lift Roman’s spirits.

“Oh, he’s said he has,” Roman replied. “But that doesn’t mean he’ll like me. Especially not like _that_. He’s too good for me anyway.”

Roman went to refill his wine, only for Janus to stop him.

“No way,” Janus said, getting off the beanbag and pushing Roman’s hands and his glass down. “No more for you.”

“But I want more,” Roman whined.

Janus shook his head. “You’re already drunk.”

Roman glared at him. Janus, satisfied, went back to sitting on the beanbag.

“He deserves someone like Patton,” Roman said after a moment. “Sweet, kind, not a fuck-up, not stupid like me.”

Janus suppressed a noise of pain. It hurt to know the man he loved thought so low of himself. “Roman, you’re not-”

“And yeah, no one could ever be good enough for him. I’m not saying anyone could. But, since I’m the last on the list and he deserves love, I gotta prepare myself.”

“For his rejection?” Janus asked.

Roman shook his head. “I’m never gonna tell him, not if I can help it. I gotta prepare for when he loves someone else.”

“Either way, maybe we should wind down for the night, I can take y-”

“He’s just so amazing,” Roman said dreamily. “How is he so amazing?”

“I…”

“So talented, brilliant, persuasive, charming, and so much more. I don’t know how I’ll get over him. I’m not sure I _can_.” He took a deep breath. “Then again, how could I be expected to? How could anyone who loved him be expected to? Loving him...I don’t think there’s a way out. And hell, do I love him. I love him so much, I think it might be illegal.”

Janus looked down at his lap. No matter how much he wanted good things for Roman—for him to be happy with someone he loved and was good for him—this still hurt. To hear him confess his undying love for someone that wasn’t him was absolute torture.

“I love Janus.”

* * *

Janus didn’t hear anything Roman said after that. The words echoed through his head, Janus unable to focus on anything except the declaration. He heard it over and over in his mind, sentences overlapping and overwhelming his ears.

Roman loved _him_?

How was that possible?

Roman was so talented, creative, and charming. He was interesting, funny, magnificent, and so incredibly handsome. Roman used to hate Janus. And now he _loved_ him? In _that_ way? It didn’t make any sense to Janus. How _could_ he love Janus? Maybe...maybe it was just the alcohol.

Yes, that could be it.

Did Janus want it just to be the alcohol? No. But it was a plausible—and very likely—idea. That _must’ve_ been it. Sometime between his first and his third drink Roman’s mind had gone from complaining about Janus to claiming he loved him. It was _definitely_ just the wine.

Or, at least, that’s what Janus tried to tell himself. He couldn’t let himself get his hopes up.

It didn’t matter that Roman said his name like it was a sacred and beautiful spell, that he talked about Janus like he loved him more than life itself, that he looked more lovestruck than someone struck with one of Cupid’s arrows when he spoke of Janus. He was just drunk. Janus wanted Roman to mean what he said so much—but there was no way he would set himself up to get let down like that. No matter how much it hurt to suppress the initial delight.

“Roman,” Janus said, interrupting the silence that had occurred after Roman stopped talking. “I think it might be time to take your drunk ass back to your room.”

“But _Remus_.” He dragged out his brother’s name. “I like being here with you. And aren’t we supposed to be hanging out more?” Janus could hardly make out what Roman was saying.

“Yes, but I think it would be nice if you were able to remember what we did together, hmm?” Janus argued.

Roman groaned. “Whatever. You sound like Janus.”

“The snake bitch is my best friend, of course he rubs off on me a bit,” Janus said, rolling his eyes. “Besides, he acts as a significant part of Thomas’ self-preservation, so it makes sense for me to channel him when I need to make sure you’re keeping your mind and body healthy.”

“You’re right, except Janus doesn’t care about me.”

Janus was so close to removing the disguise and lecturing Roman on just how much he cared. “As his best friend, I can say that he most definitely does.”

Roman squinted at him. “Bullshit.”

“Nope,” he said. “Now, I will sink us both out to your room.”

“Nooooooo,” Roman protested.

Janus walked over to Roman and picked him up bridal style and sunk out and into Roman’s room. He put Roman down on his bed. Janus conjured a glass of water and pain medication and put it on Roman’s nightstand for the morning. When he looked back to Roman, the prince was already making himself comfortable on his bed.

“‘M exhausted, Remus,” he mumbled. “Tiring day. Imma sleep now.”

“You do that.”

Janus switched off Roman’s lights and sunk back into Remus’ room. He made Roman’s wine glass disappear but kept his glass and the bottle itself. He removed his disguise, returning to his normal form. He poured what was left in the bottle into his glass, made the bottle disappear, and, with his glass in hand, sunk out of Remus’ room and into the living room.

Remus was sprawled out on the sofa and was watching some horror television show Janus wasn’t familiar with. He immediately paused it when he noticed Janus’ presence.

“Oh, hey Jan!” Remus greeted. “Did Roman give you too much of a bother?”

Janus stared at him for a moment, his mental and emotional exhaustion starting to take effect. “You owe me big time.” He then took a huge gulp of wine.

Remus’ eyes widened. “Oh my Jeffery Dahmer.... What happened?”

“Move over,” Janus demanded. Remus did so, and Janus sat on the couch. “He came in with a bottle of wine and two glasses claiming he had a terrible day and suggested we drink together. He complained about his day and about me and my interactions with him.” Janus took another drink from his wine. “I mean, it was my fault for being curious, but still.” He took yet another sip from his drink. “Then he got drunk after downing three glasses of wine. I had to stop him from getting more. And then he…” Janus trailed off, not sure he wanted to finish that sentence.

“He what?”

“He confessed his ‘undying love’ for me,” Janus said, using air quotes. “It _totally wasn't_ horrible.”

“Oh my god,” Remus said, eyes wide. “He did it.”

“It _wasn’t_ painful at _all_ , Remus,” Janus complained. “He tells me he loves me as if he isn’t drunk off his ass and being influenced by red wine. Why must the universe play with my heart in such a way?”

“Janus…” Remus started slowly, “are you _sure_ it was just the alcohol?”

“Yes!” Janus exclaimed.

“Are you sure it’s not you wanting to spare yourself potential but unlikely heartbreak?”

“Yes!” Janus lied. “It doesn’t matter that it looked honest, or that I couldn’t sense a lie, or that his beautiful eyes were filled with love. It was just the alcohol making him believe he loved me.”

“Janus,” Remus said seriously, “I don’t think it’s just the alcohol.”

Janus rolled his eyes, electing to not respond. He finished his wine and conjured another bottle. He opened the bottle and refilled his glass. It may have been a terrible idea for him to drink excessively earlier, but he didn’t have to keep up an act anymore. And after all that happened? He was in no way going to stop himself.

“You know,” Janus started, breaking the silence, “Roman sees himself terribly.”

“Yeah,” Remus agreed, likely having experienced Roman’s self-deprecation first-hand. “It’s a problem. A bad one.”

Janus nodded. “I didn’t know how bad it was until today. Hearing him say such terrible things about himself—it hurt so much.”

“Maybe you could help with that,” Remus suggested.

Janus frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You’re all about self-care, right? You could talk to Roman, compliment him, tell him how much you love him, _show_ him how much you love him if you know what I mean-”

“Remus,” Janus interrupted. “Maybe. Not those last couple things, though.”

“What? I know you want to.”

“I just want him to know how wonderful he is. I want him to see himself the way I see him.”

“You want him to lust after mirrors?”

“I will push you down the stairs.”

Remus shrugged, picking up the remote. “Is that all I need to know for tomorrow?”

“I guess so, I’ll tell you if there’s anything else you need to know so Roman won’t catch onto us,” Janus replied. “Can we watch _The Twilight Zone_?”

* * *

Roman walked downstairs, holding his head. He took the pain medication Remus left by his bed, but it hadn’t kicked in yet. He saw Remus sitting down on the sofa, drinking something Roman didn’t want to guess.

“Oh, good morning, Remus,” he greeted. “Thanks for dealing with me last night.”

Roman thought back to what happened last night. He could remember everything fairly well, though he wasn’t quite sure he was happy about that.

“Killer hangover?” Remus asked.

Roman shrugged. “Just a headache. Could be worse.”

Remus nodded. “Good. I think.”

Roman walked into the kitchen and spotted Janus by the coffeemaker. His mind flashed to what he said to Remus the previous night and he resisted the urge to shudder.

“Oh, mornin’ Janus. Didn’t see you there,” Roman mumbled.

Janus gave him a nod of acknowledgement. “Roman.”

“Is there any coffee left?” Roman inquired.

“Yes. Here, I’ll pour you a mug,” Janus offered, taking a mug from the cabinet.

“Oh, you really don’t-” Roman cut himself off when Janus started to pour the coffee. “Thank you, Janus. That is very kind of you.”

Janus gave him a weak smile and handed him the coffee mug. Roman took it gratefully. He put a substantial amount of cream and sugar in the coffee before drinking it. Roman frowned, wondering what he should have for breakfast.

“What did you have for breakfast, Janus?”

“Toast,” he replied. “Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know what to eat and I don’t wanna have what Remus had.”

“Fair enough. May I suggest cereal?”

“Oh, I didn’t know we restocked on milk. Thanks,” Roman replied with a smile.

Roman opened the cabinet and reached for the cereal, only for a flash of pain to torment the side of his head. He groaned and dropped his hand, clutching his forehead.

“I hate headaches.”

Janus was immediately at Roman’s side. “How about you sit down with Remus and I’ll get you your cereal.”

Roman glanced at him. “Are you sure? I don’t want to trouble you.”

“You’re no trouble, Roman.”

Roman’s cheeks pinkened. “Thank you.”

He trudged over to the table and sat down across from Remus. He rested his arms on the table and buried his head into them. He heard Remus laugh from the other side of the table.

“Are you sure what you gave me last night was pain medication? It’s not doing anything.”

There was a pause before Remus’ response. “I wouldn’t poison you after you had a bad day.”

“Pain medication often takes a while to kick in,” Janus explained from the kitchen.

“It doesn’t seem like it normally.”

“That is called the placebo effect,” Janus stated.

“Oh right,” Roman said. “I forgot.”

Remus hummed, and Roman heard him slurp from whatever he was drinking. “Roman?”

“What?”

“Do you remember last night?”

“Unfortunately.”

Remus cackled. “Right. And what you said…” Roman heard Remus get up from his chair, lean over the table, and whisper near Roman’s ear, “...about your love for the hat bitch, was it true?”

Roman lifted his head a small bit and smacked Remus’ arm. “You already knew,” he hissed.

“You never told me you _loved_ him,” Remus argued. “Just that it was a crush.”

“Yeah, whatever. I’ve got it worse than I let on. So what?”

Remus leaned back, sitting with a look of pride on his face. “So your confession was true?” he asked loudly.

“I just admitted to it now _shut up_.”

Remus switched his gaze to Janus who had been walking to Roman to give him his cereal but had now frozen in place. Roman stiffened, but then he relaxed—Remus had whispered when he mentioned Roman loving Janus. Janus couldn’t have heard it.

Janus gulped, seeming nervous under Remus’ gaze. He continued over to Roman despite his apparent anxiety. He tapped Roman’s shoulder, prompting the prince to lift his head fully and remove his arms from the table so Janus could set his cereal down in front of him.

“Thank you very much, Janus,” Roman said gratefully. “You are incredibly kind and thoughtful.”

Janus gave him a nod of acknowledgement in response.

“Roman, I think I have something to tell you,” Remus said with a smirk.

Janus shook his head repeatedly and started to back out of the room.

“Oh, come now, Janus! Sit with us,” Remus beckoned.

Janus continued shaking his head, retreating to the kitchen. “I will have no part in this.”

“You’re part of it whether you like it or not.”

Roman considered dumping his cereal over his brother’s head.

“This is a _wonderful_ idea, Remus,” Janus said through gritted teeth.

Remus frowned. “Why?”

“He’ll hate me again.”

Roman turned his gaze to Janus. “I don’t hate you.”

“Maybe not, but you will.”

Roman scoffed. He doubted that very much. Janus meant the world to him; he was his everything. Roman was sure Janus was mistaken.

“So the whole boob scoop I’m on about is about last night,” Remus prefaced. “Yesterday, I had a terrible day. And I mean, really bad. I couldn’t deal with anyone except Janus because Janus is my best friend and I’m used to him.”

“You dealt with m-”

Remus held a finger up to silence Roman. “Janus had come into my room to make sure I was doing alright. I wasn’t, and I told him why I wasn’t. Then, you knocked. Normally, our unplanned interactions take ten or fifteen minutes at _most_ , they’re usually around five, but I still couldn’t take that. So I asked Janus to impersonate me. Janus didn’t want to hurt or lie you so he was extremely hesitant, but I was begging like a horny bottom who had been abstinent for ages, so he agreed. And, well, as it turned out...you didn’t just want creative advice or what you usually come to me for.” Remus took a deep breath. “You clearly needed someone to be around and talk to, so Janus didn’t turn you away. So, you got drunk with Janus. Not me. And before you ask how I know, Janus enlightened me after he put you to bed so you wouldn’t suspect anything. However, considering what happened, I think you ought to know.”

Roman’s eyes were wide. His body went stiff. Janus heard his confession. Janus heard him complain about their interaction that day. Janus witnessed Roman being a drunk and pathetic _mess_. But then why was he so neutral with Roman earlier? Yeah, he had been awkward after Remus talked about Roman’s confession, but before that… Oh. Janus must’ve thought Roman said everything because of the alcohol. So, he wasn’t mad or bothered until Remus enlightened everyone nearby that what Roman said was genuine.

Roman was even more tempted to pour what was left of his cereal over Remus’ head.

Everything between them would have been fine if Remus hadn’t said that. Janus would pretend he hadn’t impersonated Remus and would still be under the illusion that everything said was due to the alcohol. Things could be normal between them. But no; Remus had to go and destroy a friendship. What they had between them was still fragile! Now, Janus would hate him.

After a minute of thinking and being frozen in shock, Roman started to regain himself. He gulped in anxiety and looked down from Remus to his cereal. Still tense, he started eating it as fast as he could without drawing suspicion. As soon as he finished, he could put the bowl in the sink and retreat to his room where he could scream into a pillow.

“...Roman?” Remus asked tentatively.

Roman didn’t reply.

“What do you have to say?”

The hungover side finished his cereal. He stood from his seat as calmly as he could manage and walked into the kitchen, making sure to cast his gaze to his feet so as not to have to face the snakelike side currently in the aforementioned room. He put his bowl and spoon into the sink and went back to the living room. He walked over to the staircase, only for a hand on his arm to stop him. Roman turned around slowly to face Remus.

“Roman, what do you have to say?” he asked again. “Are you mad?”

Roman didn’t want to reply. Instead, he decided to try sinking out then and there so he wouldn’t have to face his brother and his brother’s best friend.

“Don’t you dare sink out on me,” Remus threatened, pulling Roman back up. “Answer me.”

“I wanted to be his friend, you know,” Roman finally said quietly. “I wanted to heal what was broken. I wanted us to have a good relationship where we could work well with each other without awkwardness or repressed distaste. We had just gotten there, and now…”

Roman shook his head and pulled his arm away from Remus.

“Are you not going to talk to him?”

“I should have been more observant,” Roman stated. “I don’t deserve to offer him an explanation, and nor do I want to be faced with his pity or scorn.”

“He won’t-”

“What if he tries to lessen the blow of rejection? What if he pretends he isn’t as bothered as he is? What if he lies to spare my feelings? He’s damn good at deceiving me as shown last night, who’s to say it won’t happen a-”

“Roman!” Remus interrupted sternly. “Do you really think so low of Double D?”

“I think of him as something greater than you can imagine; that’s what has killed us.”

“Just talk to him,” Remus begged. “Please?”

Roman bit his lip; his brother could be quite convincing when he wanted to be.

“I think he wants to talk to you too.”

Roman closed his eyes for a moment, before nodding. He followed Remus back to the living room and took a seat at the table. Remus sunk out.

Roman noticed his face was heating up from humiliation, anxiety, or both. He hated being put on the spot like this. He put his hands in his lap, staring at them intently. He refused to start the conversation. Maybe Janus would just go away and forget everything. Maybe Roman will wake up to find out it all had been a dream.

Roman felt a hand ghost nearby his shoulder, prompting his body to stiffen. The hand retracted immediately and Janus sat in the seat on Roman’s left.

“Roman,” he started, voice showing signs of anxiety. “It seems as though there are some things we need to talk about. I think I should start by-”

“Just get it over with,” Roman murmured.

Janus looked taken aback. “That’s what I’m trying to do here. Starting this conversation-”

“No. Just...get to the point. Say you want nothing more to do with me. I know it’s coming. Just say it and we can both be done. You don’t need to spare my feelings.”

Janus was silent for a moment. “That’s not what I want, Roman.”

“It’d be easier if it was.”

“But neither of us would be happy.”

Roman didn’t reply. If Janus wasn’t lying and did not want Roman permanently out of his personal life, then this conversation would get very complicated.

“Roman,” he started again. “Taking Remus’ identity...I _totally_ meant to hurt you. We just thought that Remus would be happy if he didn’t have to deal with anyone and you would be happy to have someone to talk to. Neither of us predicted that it would hurt you, and neither of us wanted to violate you. As it turned out, both happened.”

Roman started to fiddle with his hands. He wasn’t that mad at Janus. If he was mad at anyone, it was Remus. Janus just wanted to help, and Roman remembered him trying to get him to stop talking about personal topics the night before. It was clear to the creative side that he had no harmful intentions and tried his best to not invade his privacy.

“I didn’t say anything this morning because I thought it was just the alcohol. It can make people say crazy and untrue things. Yes, what you said bothered me, or at least occupied my thoughts. But you were drunk. I didn’t blame you, and I didn’t take it to heart. I would have been fine carrying on like nothing happened if Remus hadn’t stepped in.” Janus sighed. “But Remus _isn’t_ an asshole, so now we’re here. He had no right to do you like that, Roman.” Janus sounded so sincere and sympathetic to Roman, and it made him want to melt. “It was cruel. What you said last night was meant for no one’s ears except Remus’, and mine least of all. Since your drunken state made it so your words meant nothing that would affect our friendship to me, we could have carried on like nothing happened. Instead, your brother has elected to play matchmaker.”

Roman laughed bitterly. Of course Remus would try to set him up with someone who would never feel the same for him immediately after Roman’s privacy had been violated. Remus knew nothing of boundaries.

“I suppose I will cut to the chase so we can shorten the duration of your emotional torture,” Janus said. “So Roman, I will ask you one question, and I want you to answer it honestly.”

Roman nodded, refusing to face Janus.

“Do you want me?”

Roman froze. Yes, Roman said he loved him, but wanting him was a different question. They were fragile right now, platonic or otherwise. So Janus’ question, no matter where it came from, made sense. But Roman didn’t want to answer.

Janus likely sensed this, so he continued. “It’s okay if you don’t. Our friendship has just recently gotten out of the awkward stage. Hell, we had an awkward interaction yesterday. Though, that _couldn’t_ be attributed to me being in a weird emotional situation and getting Pop-Tarts to cope.” He paused, seeming hesitant about what he would say next. “I didn’t want to believe you were speaking with honesty last night, Roman. Not because I was disgusted at the idea of you liking me, because I’m not, I just didn’t want to believe it in case it wasn’t true. If I let myself believe you loved me only for it to end up being the wine affecting your brain—I would end up heartbroken.”

Roman’s eyes widened. Janus couldn’t like him like that—it was impossible, he was too good for him—but his final statement sounded like he did. So, Roman looked up from his lap to face Janus. The deceitful side was looking at him with sympathy and all the love in the world, and Roman could hardly believe it.

“You…”

“I love you, Roman,” he said finally. “I love you so much—” a grin crossed his face, “—I think it might be illegal.” Roman’s face flushed as he realized Janus was repeating his confession from last night. “You are so creative, intelligent, handsome, impressive, and charming. You make the most amazing creations and care so much about being the best person you can be. I love you.”

He let Roman sit with that for a moment before he reached under the table and took Roman’s hand. He picked it up and rested their hands on the table in front of them. He caught Roman’s gaze again and stared deep into his eyes.

“And so I ask you again, Prince Roman.” He leaned closer to Roman. “Do you want me?”

Roman stared at him in awe, so shocked and happy someone as marvelous as Janus could love him. But he had to answer the question. Did Roman want Janus?

“Yes.”

Janus smiled—a fond and genuine smile—and took Roman’s other hand. He stood up and pulled the princely side up with him.

“I am _displeased_ you do,” he said happily.

Roman smiled at him, looking down at their hands and deciding to entwine their fingers.

“May I kiss you?”

Roman’s head shot back up to look at Janus. He glanced at Janus’ lips and nodded.

Janus let go of one of Roman’s hands and wrapped it around Roman’s neck, bringing the prince’s lips to his. Roman took his free arm and placed it around Janus’ waist, pulling the snake closer. He let go of Janus’ other hand—making Janus whine in disappointment—and used it to cradle his face. He brushed his hand over the scales, and immediately Janus didn’t seem discontented anymore. Janus ran his now free hand through Roman’s hair.

One question lingered at the back of both of their minds: should they kill Remus after this, or thank him?

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!


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